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Key characteristics

Family: Hydrangeaceae
Height: 5 to 6 feet
Width: 5 to 6 feet
Flower color: Bi-color blush/lavender lacecap
Foliage color: Large dark green with purple undersides
Bloom time: Summer
Light: Partial shade
Water: Regular
Maintenance: Light pruning to shape the plant
Growing zone: USDA Hardiness Zones 7 to 10
Wildlife: Flowers attract pollinators and shrub may also provide habitat for birds.

Shrubs

Hydrangea aspera ‘Monpulsel’

Plum Passion Improved Hydrangea

Hydrangea aspera 'Monpulsel' produces broad lacecap flower clusters in summer, with tiny fertile purple-pink flowers surrounded by larger pale pink sterile florets. Broad, velvety leaves emerge green-purple before deepening to rich purple with rosy-purple undersides, creating dramatic foliage color throughout the growing season. In autumn, the upper leaf surfaces develop golden tones while the purple undersides remain, extending the colorful display beyond flowering. Strong, densely branched stems hold the flowers upright and create a full, substantial framework.

Light

Partial shade

Water

Regular

Bloom time

Summer

Find this plant

Works well in

Shade Gardens
Foundation Plantings
Cut Flower Gardens
Cottage Gardens

Companion plants

Sweet box · Bleeding heart · Pieris · Foam flower · Lungwort · Ajuga

Design tip

‘Plum Passion Improved’ offers two distinct layers of interest: coarse, purple-toned foliage and delicate lacecap flowers. The contrast between substantial leaves and airy blooms gives the shrub visual complexity without relying on bold flower color alone.

Printable plant sheet (PDF)